As part of its 170th anniversary celebrations, Burberry has announced a free display at the V&A South Kensington, The Burberry Trench: Crafting an Icon, running from September 21st, 2026, through January 3rd, 2027, split into three main sections and featuring rare material from Burberry’s archive alongside pieces from the V&A’s own collection.
The opening date is not incidental; it coincides with the day Burberry presents its Spring 2027 collection during London Fashion Week, making September 21st one of the most Burberry-saturated days the British fashion calendar has ever produced.
The Three Chapters
The first section, “Invention,” focuses on the origin story, when founder Thomas Burberry developed cotton gabardine in 1879 and established the trench as a sought-after piece of protective outerwear that combined function and style. The second section, “Craft,” moves into the technical construction of the coat, the materials, the stitching, the details that have remained consistent across 170 years of production.
The display concludes with “Creativity,” spotlighting 19 standout runway looks from the past two and a half decades, including designs by Chief Creative Officers Daniel Lee and Christopher Bailey, celebrating the continued reinvention of the trench and tracing the long-standing relationship between Burberry and the V&A.
The Bigger Picture
Earlier this year, Burberry kicked off its anniversary celebration with “The Trench, Portraits of an Icon” campaign, shot by Tim Walker and featuring 23 stars from film, music, sport and fashion. The V&A display is the most institutionally significant chapter of that year-long celebration, and it arrives ahead of something larger still: The Burberry Gallery, a major transformation of the V&A’s fashion galleries set to open in autumn 2028, supported by Burberry as part of a multi-year partnership with the museum. The trench coat exhibition is, in that context, a preview of a much longer relationship between two of Britain’s most enduring cultural institutions. Admission is free.
